OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in microwaves imported from Thailand, as well as wraps of cocaine ingeniously hidden inside lipstick containers destined for Guinea.
These discoveries were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The Loud consignment arrived in two batches on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives subjected the cargo to a thorough search on Monday, 7th July 2025, and recovered 23 parcels of Loud weighing 11.3kg, hidden inside brand-new microwave ovens.
A suspect, Ezenwegbu Chike, has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Barely a week after the seizure of 420 grams of cocaine factory-fitted into 84 pieces of female lipsticks bound for the UK, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport’s export shed intercepted yet another shipment of cocaine concealed in lipstick tubes.
The consignment, part of cargo containing hair attachments, face powder, and other cosmetic items, was heading to Malabo, Guinea.
Upon dismantling the lipsticks, officials recovered 400 grams of cocaine and phenacetine, a cutting agent.
A businessman at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, identified as Ezeikwelume Prince Afam, was arrested on Friday, 11th July, in connection with the consignment.
Meanwhile, a notorious drug kingpin, Okechukwu Izugha (a.k.a. Okey Omeogo), was arrested in Lagos by operatives of NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit after spending 12 months in hiding.
He was apprehended on Wednesday, 9th July, at his wife’s shop in Ijesha Market.
Izugha had been on NDLEA’s radar since 7th August 2024, when a 9kg cocaine consignment was recovered from a suspect, Obiora Joseph Agudosi, at a motor park in Orile, Lagos.
Agudosi was en route to deliver the drugs in the South-East. Investigations traced ownership to Izugha. His wife, Maureen Izugha, was later arrested with 500 grams of cocaine at her beverage store in Ijesha Market on 21st January 2025.
She was arraigned, convicted, and sentenced to two years in prison.
Unaware that the agency was still on his trail, the fugitive emerged from hiding last week and was promptly apprehended.
In Edo State, no fewer than 28,054.053 kilograms of skunk, a local strain of cannabis, were destroyed on three farms spanning over 11 hectares in the Ewere Uzebba forest, Owan West Local Government Area, on Tuesday, 8th July. An additional 82kg of processed cannabis was recovered from the site.
As NDLEA operatives exited the forest, they came under gunfire from armed members of the cartel.
The officers repelled the attack unscathed, although one operational vehicle was riddled with bullets.
In Lagos, 1,400 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud cannabis weighing 700kg were recovered along with a Ford delivery truck marked JJJ 698 YJ at Okun-Ajah Beach.
Two suspects—Innocent Ejidiobo and Friday Paul—were arrested along the Ajah-Epe Expressway on Friday, 11th July.
Items recovered included 26kg of Ghana Loud, 123 grams of methamphetamine, and 45 grams of Molly, as well as their delivery van with registration number AJK 191 LG.
Elsewhere in Borno State, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 12th July, arrested 42-year-old Godwin Chimaobi Nwaobi with 18,759 ampoules of pentazocine, along with quantities of tramadol and rohypnol, at Njimtilo, Maiduguri.
This followed a similar seizure of 10,000 tramadol pills from another suspect, Abdulrahman Bello Ahmadu, 34, on Wednesday, 9th July.
In Gombe State, NDLEA officers recovered a total of 116,226 pills of tramadol and D5 from five suspects—Hafiz Bello (22), Isah Suleman (48), Kabiru Muhammed (30), Abdullahi Adamu (30), and Abel Murna (25)—at Gombe Main Market and along the Gombe-Kano road on Tuesday, 8th and Saturday, 12th July.
In Kogi State, a suspect, Sabiu Bala, was arrested on Thursday, 10th July, while conveying 316.6kg of skunk along the Okene-Lokoja Expressway.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Kaduna State apprehended 38-year-old Haladu Suleiman with 58.805kg of skunk in Gubuchi, Ikara LGA.
In Taraba State, three suspects—Auwal Ibrahim (30), Lukman Ibrahim (18), and Hamza Adamu (25)—were arrested at the Lanka Viri checkpoint on Saturday, 12th July, while transporting 577,890 pills of opioids and 1.160kg of skunk concealed in the tyre compartment of a petrol tanker marked MUB 334 YH.
The arrest followed credible intelligence earlier received on Tuesday, 8th July.
Meanwhile, three other suspects—Shamsudini Abdullahi (35), Adamu Abdullahi (21), and Magaji Rabo (26)—were arrested with 48.1kg of skunk at the Janguza Barracks area of Kano State on Wednesday, 9th July.
The NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns also continued nationwide during the week.
